A Day at the Beach
by abomb30
Summary: Robin doesn't want to get cursed to death (not that she would ever curse him. Well, not to death, anyway), so he keeps he promise to Tharja. Takes place after the Beach Scramble.


**Standard Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or any related characters. For context for this story, you might want to watch or read Robin and Tharja's Beach Scramble conversation they have if they're married. That forms the basis for where this came from.**

"I think that's the last of them," said Chrom as he pulled Falchion from what had been a brigand until a few seconds ago.

"I think you're right. Thank Naga it's over." Robin surveyed the beach in the aftermath of the battle that had taken place. Chrom looked over at Robin.

"Not much of a vacation, was it?" Robin sighed.

"No, I can't say it was. It's a shame people have to cause this kind of trouble in a beautiful place like this."

"At least we brought our weapons with us, eh? Not that I go anywhere without Falchion at my hip."

"That is fortunate, and I'm glad we were able to help Anna's sister. Though I suppose I could just call her Anna as well. I tell you, that must make for some very confusing family reunions." Chrom laughed.

"Let's help clean this place up, and then we can enjoy the time we have left here." Robin nodded in agreement. Cleanup took a solid hour and the sun was already beginning its descent over the horizon. Robin had been handling the work on the other end of the beach from Chrom, so it took some time for Robin to find him when the work was finished.

"Chrom, I think we're done over on my end. Looks like you finished yours as well."

"Yes, we've just gotten done. Now, I believe I said we should do something together. You, me, Lissa, Sumia, and Lucina." Lissa, Robin noticed, was right nearby nodding eagerly in agreement.

"Come on, Robin, we need some family time!" Lissa was practically bouncing up and down.

"I didn't know I was family."

"Of course you're family! You're the weird, mysterious brother we found in an open field!" Robin laughed loudly at that.

"Well, it makes me glad to hear you say that, and normally I would love to. Sadly, though, I have to decline. During the battle I made a promise to a certain gloomy mage, and I intend to keep it." Lissa looked disappointed, but she nodded in understanding. It was Chrom who spoke.

"I...see. Well, that's unfortunate, but I understand. Enjoy your evening, my friend."

"Thank you, Chrom. I do have a request, though."

"Name it."

"Do you think you could get the Shepherds to move a bit further down along the beach? I would appreciate some privacy."

"Of course, I'll see to it."

"Thank you again. Enjoy your evening as well. Even without me, you've got plenty of family here to spend the rest of the day with."

"I know, but it won't be the same without you."

"I appreciate it, but I have my own family to see to. Enjoy yourselves, you two." Robin turned and walked away with a wave. Chrom turned around to face Lissa. She shook her head and frowned as she spoke.

"You don't think it's...mind control, do you?" Chrom shook his own head in response.

"No, I don't think so. I think our Robin just has very...unique...taste in women."

"So what in the world does he see in her?"

"...I have no idea."

* * *

It took Robin a few minutes to find the person he was looking for.

"Hello Tharja." She had been staring off at the horizon, something she did quite often. She said she did it because it helped her think of new curses. It was probably true. She didn't respond right away, so he waited a bit, walked up beside her, and repeated himself. She turned to look at him.

"The day's almost over already." She motioned vaguely at the sun, which was halfway below the horizon. She sounded grumpy.

"I know. But I promised that I'd spend the rest of it with you. Even if it's not all that much. I'm sorry we didn't have more time than this."

"I guess it's not your fault. It's these accursed brigands. Besides, if not for you this could have taken much longer and been a lot messier." Robin shrugged and turned to face her.

"Maybe you're right. But what you said earlier today, well, Tharja, you were right. I haven't been spending enough time alone with you. You're my wife. You deserve to be my top priority."

"I understand that you're busy trying to run this entire army. You can't always spare time for your wife. I just don't want to be forgotten. Especially since no one else in this army seems to care who I am." Robin put his hands on her shoulders and brought her closer to him.

"Tharja, I could never forget you. Don't let the others get to you. Whatever they might think, you mean the world to me. I'm sorry that I've made you feel lonely, and I promise to make more time for you, even if it means moving around meetings with other leaders."

"I'll hold you to that, you know. And you know there will be consequences if you don't." She smiled mischievously.

"Of course I do," Robin said with a smile of his own, "but for now, come with me. I found us a spot where we can relax, and I made Chrom move the rest of the army up the beach so it would be just the two of us."

"Oh did you?"

"I did. Let's go. It's over this way." He motioned to his left.

"Only if I can walk behind you."

"Well, I suppose I can allow that, but you need to do something for me in return."

"Oh? And who do you think you are that you would make demands of me?" Robin's smile widened.

"I'm your husband." Tharja frowned and tilted her head in that peculiar way that made her eyes vanish behind her hair.

"...Curse you, Robin, but I can't argue with that. Very well. Name your price."

"You may walk behind me, but you have to hold my hand the entire way." He held his hand out palm up just in case he hadn't made his meaning clear. She looked up at him and her smile returned. Tharja rarely smiled, and even more rarely out of genuine pleasure. Consequently, Robin was able to instantly recognize whenever that was the case. This was one such time, and it made his own smile widen even further than before. He loved it when she was happy. He decided to say so.

"I hope you know that I love you, Tharja." Her cheeks flushed, but she held his gaze instead of hiding her eyes again like she normally would.

"I...I love you too, Robin." She took his hand. He turned and started towards the spot he had told her about. Her hand was much warmer than normal. He realized that he hadn't held it in quite some time, which caused him to feel a pang of guilt. He really hadn't been making enough time for her. He gave her hand a squeeze as they walked and he heard a small gasp, which made him smile reflexively.

Robin hadn't been completely honest with her. He hadn't really "found" a spot for them while they were assisting in the cleanup. He had made a spot for them using the tree line and the strange chairs that could be tilted almost into beds and the oversized parasols they had in this realm. They combined to block visibility from all sides except the side facing the water and leave the two of them room to sit and relax in front of the small fire pit he had made. As they reached it, the sun had almost sunk down past the horizon and day was slowly giving way to night.

"We're here," he said, without turning around.

"This isn't a spot you just happened upon."

"Well, I happened upon the spot itself. I just...prepared it a bit."

"You prepared this...for me?"

"I did. Would you like to sit down? I believe you wanted me to rub you with oil."

"D-don't be ridiculous. I told you that was just an excuse."

"I could still do it anyway, if you want."

"I-it's too late in the day now. There's no reason to." Her hand was getting warmer. Robin held back a laugh. It wasn't very often that he was the one who put her off balance. He finally turned to face her. She was as bright red as he had expected.

"That's okay. I don't have to use the oil. I can just give you a massage." She was looking at her feet. Robin had to fight harder to keep the laugh down. The two of them shared a bed nearly every night. They had been intimate before. And here she was, getting embarrassed at the prospect of a massage. A massage she herself had originally suggested.

"I...I suppose that w-would be a-adequate."

"Then lie down on the chair." She nodded without even looking up and then stretched out one of the two chairs. Robin whispered a spell to light the kindling in the fire pit and sat on his knees on the other chair. He started by rubbing her shoulders. At his first touch she took in a sharp breath and tensed up, but then she relaxed as his began working his way down her back.

"Your hands are cold," she said after a while.

"Oh? Yours were warm."

"M-m-my hands are never warm. They are cold to reflect my heart." The laugh Robin had been keeping in finally burst out.

"Did you really just say that?"

"Don't mock me!" Her voice was raised slightly, but she made no move to stop Robin's hands from their work as he moved them to her lower back. She let out a small yelp as he reached the end of her lower back and kept going.

"I'm sorry, Tharja. You're too adorable. Say, is this why you refuse to talk to the other Shepherds? Because you're afraid they'll see that the dark and mysterious Tharja turns into a blushing young maiden around her husband?"

"I said don't mock me!" She said it more forcefully than before and she rolled herself over on the chair to face him. She was bright red as she glared at him. Robin felt guilty. He hadn't meant to make her angry. They often went back and forth teasing one another, but he thought he might have gone too far. Robin threw up his hands in surrender and sighed.

"I'm sorry. Really. I wasn't trying to upset you." She looked away.

"I...I know. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have gotten angry." He reached out and put his hand on her cheek, then brought her face up so he could look into those wonderful stormy grey eyes of hers. He thought he saw tears starting to form.

"No, I made it too personal. You don't need to apologize." She had developed something of a sore spot regarding her place in the Shepherds since they had gotten married. She had even mentioned it earlier in the day during their conversation. She felt like none of the Shepherds cared that the two of them were a couple. She kept to herself because that was her nature, but he knew she at least wanted the rest of them to respect her relationship with him. He smiled at her. She tried to smile back. It only resulted in half a smile, but it was enough for Robin. He leaned in and kissed her forehead. "Please forgive me." She leaned her face into his hand and put her own hand on top of it. True to her word, her hand was cold.

"If I can forgive you sealing your promise incorrectly, I can forgive this." Robin felt relieved. She was her usual self. He had felt awful for saying something that hurt her.

"Thank you." Robin shifted his weight and stretched out on the odd chair, which tilted at a low angle compared to a normal chair. He never took his hand off of her cheek as she laid out alongside him. They stayed in that position for a short while, just looking into each others' eyes. After what felt like an eternity but was likely only a few minutes, he shifted onto his back and motioned for her to do the same. She nodded and did so. He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in close. She rested her head on his shoulder as they looked out at the beach. The warmth of her presence against him was so wonderful and reassuring that it made him realize that they hadn't had the chance to just be together like this in weeks. Of course they shared a tent every night, but with the way the war was going that amounted to collapsing in exhaustion in the same bed, occasionally at the same time. He gave her a squeeze, just to make sure she was still there. She gave him a satisfied sigh in response.

The sun was just barely peeking out from the horizon. Night was only a few minutes away, and he wasn't sure how long Chrom was going to allow them to stay. He hoped it was through until morning. As the sun disappeared fully and night fell, Robin's gaze shifted from the water to the fire still crackling softly in front of them. The silence was so comfortable that Robin didn't even want to break it, but eventually he did.

"There's something I've been thinking about lately, and I've been meaning to talk to you about it."

"Oh?" She sounded so relaxed that it made him feel guilty for disturbing her.

"Well, now that Lucina told us her story about the future she came from, it got me thinking. What if there are other children who came back in the same way? Many of the Shepherds are married now. What if Lucina wasn't the only one?"

"If there had been others, would they not have found us by now? Or come together with her?"

"I don't know. Lucina has been here for over a year, so it would make sense that if there were others they would have sought us out. But what if for some reason they couldn't? Or what if they are looking but haven't found us yet?"

"Then I'm sure you'll figure out a way to track them down." With one finger she traced a line along his bare chest with her long, sharp nail. It almost made him shudder. Almost. "You always keep on top of these things."

"Maybe. But that's not exactly what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Then maybe you should get on with it." He didn't turn to look, but he was sure she was grinning in her usual way.

"Alright, alright, I will." They laughed together, but Robin quickly sobered. "So what I've been thinking about is this: if more children came back from the future besides just Lucina...what if one of them is, well, ours?" That got her attention.

"What? Why would you think...I mean I haven't...I don't even know if...that's absurd."

"Hey, hey, calm down. It's just a thought I've been having. I know you're not pregnant."

"Then what would make you think we might have a child who came back?"

"Well, think about it. I know you hadn't joined us yet, but we met Lucina even before we met you. Chrom wasn't even married at the time, let alone a father. In fact, Lucina didn't even tell us her true identity until after Sumia gave birth. That means that it's possible that if we do have a child in the future, he or she might be here already."

"But we haven't even discussed having children."

"I know that too. I hadn't planned on bringing it up until the war ended. But now with this information we've gotten from Lucina, I thought it might be time."

"I...I don't know. I doubt I'm fit to be a mother. It's not as if I have any experience with one." When she said that it made Robin give her a reflexive squeeze. She didn't talk about her family much. She had told him once that her parents had abandoned her when she was very young. It was, according to her, why she had taken up dark magic in the first place. She needed a means to protect herself.

"I know. But really, I don't think you know what kind of mother you'd be until you become one."

"But parents should good and kind people. I'm neither of those."

"I think you're being too hard on yourself. I know you can be distant, even cold, but I've never seen any indication that you're a fundamentally bad person. In fact, I've seen some of the things you do that you think no one can see you doing. I know there's a good person in there somewhere."

"I—how would you know about any of that?"

"Tharja, you're my wife. I'm usually watching you because I enjoy it."

"You know I hate it when people stare at me."

"Even if it's me?"

"Even if—okay, no. If it's you I don't mind." Robin assumed she was blushing again, though the light from the fire made it hard to tell for sure. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. Even if you see me doing things to be helpful it's not—not because I'm a good person. It's because you are."

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean."

"You're so kind to everyone. Even me. You never treated me badly even though everyone else did. You always believed in me. You...you make me want to be better. So I can...can live up to your expectations."

"Tharja...that might be the nicest thing you've ever said to me." He gave her another squeeze and kissed the top of her head.

"Well...don't get used to it." Despite the words, she kissed him on the cheek.

"Oh, don't worry, I won't. But I still think you're being too hard on yourself. You certainly know how to be kindhearted. I still think you're a good person deep down. Do you think I'd have married you if I thought you weren't?"

"I might have put a curse on you."

"You've said yourself that those wear off."

"Not if I keep casting them."

"Which I think would get noticed. Besides, I'm no slouch in the magic department myself. I think I have the mental fortitude to at least give you some level of resistance."

"We might have to put that to the test some day." Robin laughed.

"Bring it on."

"Oh, you don't know what you've brought on yourself, Robin." They both laughed together. It felt good and it once again reminded Robin that they hadn't spent quality time like this in far too long.

"On a more serious note, even if you think you only do good because of me, I'd be there with you every step of the way if we were raising children. I certainly wouldn't make you do it alone."

"And what if something were to happen to you? You're fighting a war. They aren't exactly predictable. If something did happen and I was left alone then I...I don't know what would happen."

"I don't know for sure, although I'm sure Chrom would help you in any way he could if you asked. They even told me they think of me as family. I'm sure they would think of my wife and children the same way."

"Chrom would never accept me as family. As if I'd want to be in the same family as him."

"I think he would. Out of respect for me, if nothing else."

"Well, anyway, I haven't even agreed to having children."

"I know. I'm speaking hypothetically. So, hypothetically, what if we don't have children and I was killed? What do you think you would do?" She was silent for a moment and when she did speak it sounded like she was having trouble getting the words out.

"If that happened then I—I—I—," her voice broke.

"Tharja? Are you crying?"

"N—no." She was. He gave her another squeeze and wrapped his other arm around her. She shuddered slightly and hugged him back.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been so direct. I'm right here. I'm sorry." He felt himself getting choked up. They stayed silent for a while just watching the fire. She was the one who finally spoke.

"...Revenge. I would get my revenge on those that did it."

"I think I expected you to say that."

"Then why would you make me answer?"

"Because I wanted to make you say it."

"My, you're so cruel," she said with a sniffle and gave him a squeeze of her own.

"My cruelty builds character. So really, when you think about it that way, I'm just being kind by helping you grow." That drew a laugh. Hearing it made Robin laugh as well.

"I don't see how this relates to the topic of children."

"Well, if something did happen to me, trying to get your revenge wouldn't be the best thing for our potential children. They would need their mother."

"Perhaps you're right. But I would still desire it. If I had to live in a world without you in it..." Her voice trailed off.

"I understand, and it's not like I'm planning on getting myself killed any time soon. But if you really don't think you'd be able to take care of our children in the event something happened to me, then...I don't know. Maybe you're right and we—we shouldn't." Robin tried to keep the disappointment out of his voice, but it was clear she could hear it.

"You really want children, don't you?"

"I do. I have for a while. I don't know if I've always wanted to be a father, considering I don't remember anything from more than a year ago. Ever since Lucina was born and I saw how happy Chrom and Sumia were I've begun to feel...jealous, I suppose. Or maybe that's not the right word. I don't know. I've never had a real family. I think seeing Chrom's has made me want one of my own." She was silent for a long time, presumably thinking about her answer.

"Even though I never planned on having children of my own I think I could make an exception. You know, for you." She started tracing a line on his chest with her finger again. He shuddered. Even though he knew it wasn't from the cold, he still whispered out a spell towards the dying fire to build it back up.

"I would never want to force you into something like that if you didn't want it."

"But would it make you happy?"

"Well, yes, I think it would."

"Then I do want it. I want you to be happy."

"But would it make YOU happy?"

"As long as I'm with you, I'll be happy." Robin almost wanted to laugh that she had said something like that, but because it was Tharja he knew it was sincere. She might have even had a hard time saying it.

"If you'd really be willing, I'd like to try. Not right away, but once things have quieted down."

"If it were anyone but you, I might hesitate. But yes, I'm willing."

"Thank you, Tharja." He could barely get the words out. He kissed her hair again.

"You'll have to let me test out my curses on you as payment, though."

"But you do that anyway."

"Drat. You're right. Well, I'll think of something. And I promise that if you get killed, I'll try to be a decent mother to our children."

"I hope you'll try that even if I don't get killed."

"I thought that was obvious."

"Say it anyway."

"Ugh. Fine. I promise I'll try to be a good mother to our children whether you live or die."

"Thank you. Now, you may seal your promise by kissing my hand." He held his hand out like before, just to make sure she knew what he was talking about. She glared at him, though there was no malice in it.

"Oh...oh you are a rotten scoundrel of a man, Robin." Robin laughed loudly, which set off Tharja as well. The two of them collapsed against each other in a fit of laughter that lasted for quite some time and made Robin feel better than he had in weeks.

"I just hope you don't mess up your kiss the same way I did this afternoon." But she did. Several times.

"Oops."

"Look at the two of us. Can't do anything right. Let me try and see if I can figure it out." But he made the same mistake she did. Several more times.

"I think we should give up," she said. Just to make her point that she wasn't at all interested in continuing, she got on top of him and straddled his hips.

"No, let's keep going. I'm sure we'll work it out eventually," he said as he put his hands on her waist. She bared her teeth in a grin.

"If you say so."

It took them quite a while.

* * *

They were next to each other again. The fire was down to just the smoldering embers. Tharja shivered. Robin grabbed a blanket he had left next to the chairs and threw it over both of them. Tharja sighed with pleasure and brought herself closer to Robin.

"Did you ever think we'd end up like this, Tharja?"

"On strange chairs on a beach?"

"Well yes. But also I mean together in general. Married."

"I hoped so after the first time we spoke, but I was still shocked when you asked."

"I was a little surprised myself. Especially after that time you tried to act 'normal.'"

"Ugh. Don't remind me."

"I can't blame you. I was the one who asked for it, after all."

"I forgive you."

"Ha, well, thank you."

"...Thank you, too."

"For what?"

"For keeping your promise."

"What, spending the rest of the day together?"

"Yes."

"You're welcome. Though it's not like it was a difficult promise to keep." They stared out at the night sky. The fire was almost dead. Robin whispered a final spell to bring wind to blow it out. Robin felt his eyelids growing heavy. Tharja must have felt the same, because when she spoke again it was barely a sleepy murmur.

"I love you, Robin." Robin closed his eyes and let sleep begin to take him as he embraced his wife.

"I love you too, Tharja."

 **It's too bad we know how things go for Tharja and her children, really. Feedback of any sort is appreciated, as ever.**


End file.
